The exhibition in Brno presents the architectural wealth of Cairo

Brno - The architectural wealth of the Egyptian metropolis Cairo is brought closer to visitors by a new photography exhibition at the Anthropos Pavilion of the Moravian Museum in Brno. The author of the large-format black-and-white photographs is photographer Jan Brodský. He captured places that are mostly hidden from the ordinary visitors of Cairo, temples, palaces, and unassuming corners.
Brodský worked in Africa alongside Czech Egyptologists. Thematically organized exhibition suggests the urban development of the city and provides data about types of buildings and their function. The focus is on religious and public buildings, residences, and decorations typical for Islamic architecture.
Each building is precisely dated in the exhibition, which allows for often surprising comparisons of construction standards in Egypt and Europe during the same period. According to the exhibition's authors, Cairo can be considered a "treasure trove of Islamic architecture." Since the occupation of Egypt by Muslim armies in the 7th century, the city has never been destroyed by the invasion of foreign armies. Therefore, buildings from various periods of Arab settlement have been preserved. Each ruling dynasty left its mark on the city.
The exhibition was created in collaboration with the Czech Institute of Egyptology at the Faculty of Arts of Charles University. It premiered in Prague, where it received a favorable response from experts. In a way, it serves as a visual accompaniment to the recently published book Cairo - The Architecture and Art of the Islamic Metropolis by Czech authors Štěpán Macháček, Hana Nováková, and Hana Benešovská.
In addition to the permanent exhibition dedicated to prehistory and photographs from Cairo, visitors to the Anthropos can now also view an exhibition about Karel Absolon. The famous speleologist and archaeologist is presented through photographs from his archive and personal items. The exhibition about Absolon will last until March 13, while the photographs from Cairo will be available to see at the Anthropos until the end of October.